Main
Daniel B. Turner
I assemble big ecological datasets from start to finish, from an abstract idea at a meeting to the finished product, with transparent, reproducible, and efficient code. I have studied animals and plants from across the Americas, and I seek to develop novel data science methods to faciliate mulitlateral knowledge exchange between ecologists and their stakeholders.
Education
PhD Candidate, Entomology and Ecology, Evolutionary, and Behavior
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
current - 2018
- Synthesizing existing literature to build databases and models for plant-insect ecology
- Fulbright Open Research Finalist, MSU Plant Science Fellow
B.S., Environmental Science & Spanish Language, Literature, and Linguistics (minor: Biology)
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
2018 - 2014
Publications
Effects of landscape urbanization and local plant diversity on predatory arthropod community assembly and ecosystem services
Manuscript in prep
N/A
N/A
- Turner, D.B. and J.E. Behm
Coding for broader impact: Leveraging field biologists’ programming skills for effective public communication.
Manuscript available upon request
N/A
N/A
- Turner, D.B., Behm, J.E., and M.R. Helmus
A new species of Caribbean toad (Bufonidae, Peltophryne) from southern Hispaniola
Zootaxa - PDF
N/A
2018
- Landestoy, M.A., Turner, D.B., Marion, A.B., and S.B. Hedges
Mapping the way to carbon neutrality: addressing carbon emissions from transportation at the Monteverde Friends School.
CIEE Sustainability and the Environment, Spring 2016*
N/A
2016
- Turner, D.B.
- *not peer-reviewed
Software Development
c4bi: Coding for broader impact
R package leveraging ecologists’ programming skills for effective stakeholder communication.
N/A
N/A
Research Experience
Graduate Research Assistant
Wetzel Lab
Michigan State University
current - 2018
- Synthesized hundreds of plant species’ data on terpene and terpenoid diversity for forthcoming R package and relational database
- Conducted meta-analysis on over 50 introduced plant species and their novel interactions with local herbivore communities
- Investigated priority effects on temporal ecology using the tall goldenrod Solidago altissima - herbivore model system
Undergraduate Researcher
Integrative Ecology Lab
Temple University
2018 - 2017
- Studied varation in arthropod predator community assembly along an urbanization gradient in southeastern Pennsylvania
Undergraduate Researcher
Hedges Lab
Temple University
2018 - 2015
- Performed PCR and created phylogenetic trees for newly-discovered toad species from the Dominican Republic
- Collected and analyzed morphological trait data from Hispaniolan frogs
Teaching Experience
For my mentees, I seek to provide an open environment with hands-on experience in ecology, statistics, and tidy data principles.
Statistical Methods for Temporal Ecology
MSU Department of Entomology
East Lansing, MI
2020 - 2020
- Co-taught graduate seminar in time series analysis, including ARIMA and Bayesian models
- 9 students
Insects, Globalization, and Sustainability Laboratory
MSU Center for Integrative Studies
East Lansing, MI
2020 - 2019
- Taught laboratory course for non-STEM majors in statistics and insect biology
- 160 students across two semesters
Principles of Ecology
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
2018 - 2018
- Teaching assistant; wrote quizzes and held study sessions
- 200 students
Research and Travel Funding
total = $31,670
N/A
N/A
N/A
MSU Creating Inclusive Excellence Grant ($10,000)
N/A
N/A
2020
MSU Hutson Research Grant ($2,500)
N/A
N/A
2020
MSU Kellogg Biological Station Research Fellowship ($2,500)
N/A
N/A
2020
Fulbright Open Research Grant Finalist, Brazil ($15,000)
N/A
N/A
2020
Council for Graduate Students Conference Award ($300)
N/A
N/A
2020
MSU Kellogg Biological Station Research Fellowship ($2,250)
N/A
N/A
2019
MSU Kellogg Biological Station Undergraduate Mentorship Grant ($1,000)
N/A
N/A
2019
Temple University Diamond Research Scholars Program ($4,000)
N/A
N/A
2017
Temple University Creative Arts, Research, and Academic Scholarship ($3,120)
N/A
N/A
2017
Temple University Undergraduate Research Program Grant ($4,000)
N/A
N/A
2016
Temple University Educational Enhancement Merit Stipend ($4,000)
N/A
N/A
2016
Honors and Awards
National Science Foundation – Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention
N/A
N/A
2020
Michigan State University Plant Sciences Graduate Recruitment Fellowship ($41,729)
N/A
N/A
2018
Phi Beta Kappa, Temple University
N/A
N/A
2018
Temple University Natan Luehrmann-Cowen Memorial Award ($700)
N/A
N/A
2018
Ecological Society of America Mid-Atlantic Annual Meeting, Honorable Mention for Undergraduate Oral Presentation ($100)
N/A
N/A
2018
Sigma Delta Pi, Spanish Language National Honor Society
N/A
N/A
2017
Sigma Gamma Eplison, Earth Science National Honor Society
N/A
N/A
2017
Temple University Dean’s Scholarship ($28,000)
N/A
N/A
2014
Union League of Philadelphia Scholarship ($32,000)
N/A
N/A
2014
Temple University Honors Program
N/A
N/A
2014
Presentations
Comparing insect herbivore community structure across plants’ native and novel ranges: A meta-analysis.
American Naturalist National Meeting
Asilomar, CA
2020
- Turner, D.B. and Wetzel, W.C.
Arthropod predator community assemblage across a land cover gradient.
Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting
New Orleans, LA
2018
- Turner, D.B. and J.E. Behm
Arthropod predator community assemblage across a land cover gradient.
Temple Undergraduate Research Forum
Philadelphia, PA
2018
- Turner, D.B. and J.E. Behm
Arthropod predator community assemblage across a land cover gradient.
Ecological Society of America Mid-Atlantic Meeting.
Newark, NJ
2018
- Turner, D.B. and J.E. Behm
Mapping the way to carbon neutrality: addressing carbon emissions from transportation at the Monteverde Friends School.
Global Temple Conference.
Philadelphia, PA
2016
- Turner, D.B.